47th Régates Royales de Cannes - Day 5
by Yacht Club de Cannes 27 Sep 06:57 BST
21-27 September 2025
At lunchtime, the Cannes "fan" got under way, and the race committees were able to launch starts in a southerly to south-westerly breeze climbing very quickly to 15-20 knots or even more offshore. This day was once again just magical. The Dragon, 5.5 MJI and 12 MJI closed their week. Tomorrow, Saturday, the ball ends!
The local sailors call this real trade wind "the Ponant". This gentle wind oscillates between 190 and 210 with a compass, raising a short and choppy sea, because it comes from the open sea. The dream for any racer. On the three race rounds, the show was exceptional. It had started on the pontoon, when the crew of the Fife Viola design, as always, put on a show after the morning briefing in front of conquered crews, and under the stunned gaze of Asian tourists visiting the crowded village. Because the crew of Viola wanted to pay a final tribute to their friend Yvon Rautureau, who died suddenly just before the Royal Regattas that he had not missed for years. Viola, whose cockpit was littered with bouquets of purple flowers of course, left the Quai Saint-Pierre alone to applause, then the fleet entered the port exit to reach the departure area, escorted by the SNSM launch. Just before, we met the living memory of the Royales, Gilles Mallet. He knows everybody, and everybody knows him. And for good reason! "Gillou" to his friends, his long hair and his Gaulish moustache, is competing here in his 38thRoyales. He has sailed on all types of boats and in all positions, and is just unbeatable. This year, he is aboard the largest sailboat in the fleet, Cambria (K4), a 33.80-metre Fife-designed 23 MJI carrying 770 m2 of canvas, built in 1928 and based in Cannes. Never stingy with a joke, he has found what he calls the "ashtray", a space where navigator and tactician officiate.
Finally, Taittinger champagnes created in 1932 are now one of the partners of the Royal Regattas. Vincent Halphen, regional sales director, present in Cannes, passionate about sailing, and who sailed dinghies for a long time in his youth, is discovering this unique event. "I enjoy it and am seduced. The Royal Regattas are totally in line with what we appreciate, this virtuous and ecological side, this preservation of heritage, without forgetting the beauty of these sublime sailboats, true works of art... In addition, initiated by Taittinger, Philanthropic ArsNova is an endowment fund, which allows art to be showcased in particular. "The Taittinger family, at the head of the house for nearly a century, has a permanent quest for excellence," Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger likes to say. A commitment that he has embodied for 40 years and that he now shares with his son Clovis and daughter Vitalie within the management team. It is said that the 2025 vintage is of the same ilk as the 47th Royal Regattas!
Full results available here.